Blizzard Entertainment To Establish A European Games Support Centre In Cork

Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has announced that Blizzard Entertainment with the support of IDA Ireland, will establish a European customer support centre in Cork City.

An initial 50 positions will be created by this investment, rising to over 100 within three years. Blizzard Entertainment, headquartered in Irvine, California, is a world-renowned developer and publisher of entertainment software, including digital titles such as World of Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft.

The company’s industry leading subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft allows thousands of people to play and interact simultaneously in a shared online environment. More than 9 million players worldwide subscribe to World of Warcraft. Blizzard is establishing the European customer support centre in Cork City in order to meet the demands of its expanding player base and substantially increase the level of support it can offer European players. The Cork facility will complement and strengthen Blizzard’s existing primary European offices, located near Paris, and also work closely with the company’s global teams to provide high-quality customer service and online infrastructure maintenance.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister Martin said: "Blizzard Entertainment is a global leader in the entertainment software industry, setting the standard for online gaming on the personal computer. This decision by Blizzard to establish a new European customer support centre in Cork is further evidence of how Ireland is viewed internationally as a leading location for cutting edge investment in the exciting world of digital content.

"Interactive entertainment is one of the fastest-growing and most popular recreational sectors globally, and this demand is creating new opportunities for Ireland as a platform for this highly innovative industry."

Mike Morhaime, President and Co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, expressed confidence in the ability of the Cork office to strengthen the company’s support offerings throughout the continent. "We are fully committed to increasing the scale of our services as demand for ‘World of Warcraft’ and other Blizzard games continues to grow in Europe," he said. “With this new office in Ireland, we’ll be able to continue providing our European players with a high level of support for many years to come."

(CD)